According to a reliable source, Ann Widdecombe’s killer was obsessed with far-left literature and expressed hatred towards several named individuals, says Nigel Farage, who has himself received nearly 600 death threats.

– So the idea that there are people out there who want to kill us and who specifically regard Reform as the enemy does not surprise me in the slightest, the Reform leader tells Jeremy Kyle on TalkTV.

Farage says that the monetary gift he received was intended to safeguard his security.

I travel around the country and walk along high streets. I attend public events. I am surrounded by hundreds of people. I cannot do that with a driver and one security guard. I need people to go ahead and check the surroundings. So I need more people because of my constant contact with large crowds. And what happened last year was that they cut it by 75 per cent, to a level at which I simply could not have continued working as I did. And that really formed part of the thinking behind the large gift I received from Christopher Harborne. He said: “Listen, here is the money. It is unconditional, but I understand that you are going to need this for the rest of your life, because you can never trust the state to look after you.” And, you know, I know that people criticise me and that I am, in a sense, demonised because of the money, but I would simply say this to you: I have broken no law. I have broken no tax law. I have not misused a single penny of public funds. I have not claimed any personal expenses as a Member of Parliament during my first two years. And if Ann Widdecombe’s death does not convince my critics that I need to look after myself for the rest of my life, then, frankly, nothing will.

Farage is angry with The Times, which has disclosed where his daughter lives, the interview reveals.